Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Monday, August 27, 2012

Please note that today is my first day of school. I have classes Monday - Friday this semester, which I haven't had in the past. One nice advantage is that my days will be shorter, especially Monday and Wednesday. Friday is my long day. I'll do my best to try and visit everyone at least once this week, but I can't promise anything. This is going to be a very busy semester with lots of homework, so I'll be around Blogville when I can.

1. If you could play any musical instrument, what would it be and why? If you already play an instrument, what do you play and why?
Currently, the only instrument I play is the radio. When I was a kid, I wanted to learn to play the piano. I'm not really sure why. I asked my mom for lessons and she said no. I think it was more because we didn't have a piano and she didn't want to pay for lessons. I still think it might be nice to know how to play, but I haven't taken any steps to learn on my own.

2. When trick-or-treating as a kid, was there any kind of candy you didn't like to get?
I rarely got candy as a little kid, so I wasn't too picky back then! I didn't care for peanut butter flavored taffy though. Everything else, I devoured as quickly as I could, lol.

3. Why do you live where ever you live?
As a kid, my family moved around a lot. My father was in the military and it seemed like almost every year, I went to a new school. It had it's advantages, but there were also the disadvantages. When my dad retired, he and my mom moved back here because they liked it so much when we lived here previously.

My brothers and I don't really talk and I don't know my other family members (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) because they all live so far away. I'm not married, so I've always stayed close to my parents. Now that my dad has passed away, I'm staying because my mom is really all I have. When she's gone, maybe I'll move on. I won't have anything else to hold me here.

4. Show and tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Apparently, it's a marsupial. I thought it was a kangaroo at first, but after googling for a better look, I don't know what it is! I'm pretty sure it's not a kangaroo though! What do you think it is?

Friday, August 24, 2012

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009. We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us. So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives. The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that. They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week. I'm determined to find something good in each day. Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day. Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list! (This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list on your own blog. Thanks!)

~I'm happy because...

Chico is doing a lot better!

School starts on Monday!

My student loan proceeds finally came in!

I got most of my textbooks and school supplies!

I'm getting a haircut this afternoon!

I bought myself a pretty dress!

*****

On Sunday, Chico started walking better. On Monday, he walked almost normally. By Tuesday, he was walking completely normally. My student loan funds didn't come in until Wednesday. Since Chico was doing so much better, I wondered if maybe he just hurt his leg maybe, and now it's healed up?! After much thoughtful consideration, I decided to just watch him very, very closely and if I see any signs it's bothering him again, I'll make an appointment for the vet right away. So far, so good!

I need to give a huge *THANK YOU* to Pip's mom for researching and emailing me some information on companies that provide financial assistance for pet medical care. It was very much appreciated. I'd also like to thank everyone who offered prayers for my baby boy. I love how we all look out for and help one another in Blogville.

*****

Do you like nail polish? One of my bloggy buddies has a nail polish blog. She used to post mostly on another blog, but now she's starting to do more on her own again. She wants to build her readership back up, so if you're into polishes, visit Smoochiefrog and be sure to tell her I sent you.

*****

Got most of my textbooks yesterday. One is on back order so I couldn't get it yet. I still need to purchase two computer programs too. Looking through the textbooks makes it seem all so real that school starts on Monday. I already have homework for 2 different classes. I also have a work meeting this morning. I just want to enjoy the last of my summer vacay and not even have to think about school.

Speaking of school, I don't know how much I'll be around next week. I don't work any closing shifts this semester except for Friday, so once my school day is done, I can go home. I'm hoping I'll have a little more time now, especially since it seems like I'm going to have a LOT of homework this semester. At least 2 classes have weekly quizzes, two others have weekly assignments, so I'll need to keep up on everything. I'm not sure what the fifth class will be like yet.

My Monday and Wednesday posts will be pre-posted. I'm not sure about Friday's post yet. I'll try to visit everyone at least once next week, but I'm not going to make any promises.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Monday, August 20, 2012

Unfortunately, my student loan proceeds didn't come in today, as expected. It was a day or two late last semester too, so I'll wait until tomorrow before contacting the Financial Aid office to ask where my money is.

I noticed Chico seemed to be walking better yesterday and this morning. He's not sticking his leg out behind him nearly as much, so I don't feel quite as bad about not being able to get him into the vet this morning. Thankfully, everyone's prayers seem to be working, so thank you!

I got these questions from here. They're from a June post, but I that's OK!

1. What's one thing you can't seem to scratch off your to-do list?
I'm big on writing up lists so that I don't miss anything. It's nice for when I'm at work and need to prioritize things. At home, however, it's not nearly as effective. There always seems to be at least one thing I don't get around to. If it's housework, I procrastinate on dusting and cleaning the bathroom. I'll usually eventually get around to the bathroom, but put off dusting for as long as possible.

2. What is your biggest annoyance when driving?
This is easy - when people don't use turn signals!!! There are several other things too, like seeing people texting while driving (which is illegal here), when people cut me off and when people ahead of me are going slower than the speed limit and I can't get around them for whatever reason. Not using turn signals annoys me the most though.

3. List three jobs you'd consider pursing if money didn't matter.
Number one would be social work. I briefly considered it for a time, but everyone kept telling me not to do it because it doesn't pay well. Someone told me that money shouldn't be the reason why you would want to pursue that field, but I want to be able to pay my bills at the end of the month! I think I would really enjoy this field and do a form of it with my volunteering gigs.

The second one would be to own a craft shop. I'm not a crafting person myself, but there used to be a craft store in town where people would sell handmade crafts. I loved to go in there and see all of the cool things on display. At Christmas time, they would have an open house, which was amazingly well put together. The owner's husband thought she spent too much time at the store, and told her she had to either close the shop or get a divorce. I'd want to open a shop just like hers!

The third one would maybe be a doggie daycare. I've never looked into working at one, so I don't know how profitable it would be. I would want it to be one where people drop their dogs off for the day while they go to work, and the dogs would spend their days in utter bliss.

4. Show and tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Obviously, this was taken in a place where there are lots of farms! I don't know why, but this reminds me of my father. He grew up on a farm. The farm was long gone by the time I came into existence, so I never got to see where he spent his childhood years.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009. We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us. So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives. The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that. They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week. I'm determined to find something good in each day. Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day. Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list! (This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list on your own blog. Thanks!)

~I'm happy because...

I went to a classic car show!

I got my lawn mowed! I had to pay someone to do it, but it's done, and that's all I care about!

One week left of vacay until I start school again!

My mom gave me some really pretty flowers for no reason at all!

One of my friends is no longer homeless! I'm so glad she found a place to live!

*****

Please cross your paws in prayer for my little Chico. When I first got him, I took him to the vet and had them do an overall checkup, in addition to getting his shots up to date. They told me at that time that his patella would slip out of his kneecap or something like that. They recommended surgery, but said it wasn't necessary to get it done immediately. My main concern at the time wasn't money necessarily, but the fact that Chico is so little! The vet said it tends to happen to the smaller dogs and that he does this kind of surgery regularly. It didn't seem to bother Chico overly, so I didn't do it.

I'm kicking myself now, because Chico has been walking oddly lately, holding one back leg straight out behind him or holding his leg up close to him and walking on three legs. He doesn't do this every time he walks, but he does it enough that it's grown to concern me. It doesn't seem to give him any severe pains, as he doesn't cry when he walks or when I pet him on and around his leg. But obviously something isn't right.

I should get my financial aid on Monday. The first thing I plan to do is to call the vet to set up an appointment. I know for certain that they'll want x-rays and I'm pretty sure they'll recommend the surgery for him again. I would do it in a heartbeat, but I'm so worried I won't be able to pay for it. My financial aid will only stretch so far, and I need to make it last for the whole semester, which is difficult even with working part time.

I really, really, really hope that my vet will allow me to make payments. I know that they will sometimes do that in certain cases. I don't know how else I could pay for it, and I can't deprive Chico of it if it'll make him better. I'm just really worried about him.

Monday, August 13, 2012

1. Have you ever been arrested?
No, thank God! I probably could have been, but never got caught. I'd like to think I've made a lot of changes in my life and wouldn't do anything like that now. No, I'm not going to share my past indiscretions with you.

2. In what ways would you like to change the world?
If I could, I would require everyone to be nice to one another and to animals. No bullying or abuse.

Everyone would make a living wage. People who earn tips, such as waiters and waitresses, would all be paid minimum wage. I know people who make less than minimum wage and are expected to make up the difference with tips. That doesn't always happen. Tipping is not required, so not everyone does.

People would be required to recycle. I don't do nearly as much as I could for the environment, but I feel bad now if I throw away something that could be recycled. I only started within the past year, and now do as much as I can.

Everyone would be required to at least graduate high school. I did, and still struggled to find a job. I can't imagine how much harder it would be if I hadn't. I'd push higher education a lot more too. School isn't for everyone, and I get that. Everyone needs an education though.

There's a lot more I'd do, but it's too much to list here. And I wouldn't want to offend anyone that may have opposing views.

3. Has a book ever brought you to tears?
Oh yeah, many of them have! The most recent one was Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult. I love her books and this is her newest one.

I did really well, until about the last 10 pages or so. It's about a man who's in a coma and the doctor's don't think he'll ever come out of it. The family has to decide whether to let him stay the way he is or to let him go. My father wasn't exactly in a coma, but was in a coma-like state the last 2 days of his life. The book brought some of those memories back.

4. Show and tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or tell a story if it reminds you of one.

I love butterflies! I even got one tattooed on my back. Seeing this reminds me of a trip my mom and I took to the zoo last year. We got to see the Butterfly Exhibit, which I'd never been able to check out before. I loved it! There were tons and tons and tons of butterflies everywhere and several of them landed on me. There were so many varieties, many of which I'd never seen before. The cost was totally worth it, even if I hadn't gotten to see anything else at the zoo.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Monday, August 6, 2012

Questions are taken from here. Yes, these are last week's questions. It's all good...

1. Describe your "good china," whether you actually own any or not.

Before I moved out of my parents' house, I collected household stuff for awhile and stuck it all in a storage unit. Don't laugh, but sometimes I liked to go to my storage unit and just look at it all. Anyway, one day I happened to see a set of dishes on sale at a local store, so I purchased it. When I brought it home, my mom said that I went on for days about how pretty they were. I kept them at the house for several days so that I could continue admiring them before sticking them in storage. Looking at them now, I think they're kinda ugly. But they work, and that's all that really matters.

2. When are you happiest?

There are 3 times when I'm happiest. One of them is when I'm with Shiver and Chico, playing or cuddling, and I know they're happy by the excessive tail wagging. I'm also happy when I can give them both a new toy that they love.

The second would be when I've just gone shopping and bringing all my shizz into the house. I don't just mean grocery shopping, or having to buy a box of envelopes or something. No, I'm talking about when I go shopping for things I really don't need, but just want. Like a pretty blouse, or new shoes, or nail polish, a new plant, a book, or whatever else my little heart desires. Sadly, I haven't been able to do this kind of shopping in awhile. I love to carry it in from the car, spread it all out on the bed and just delight in all my goodies.

And lastly, I realized that I'm happiest when school is in session. Just the other day, I was thinking about how much I've learned about the world in general from college. Before I started, I thought that I was reasonably smart. And now, I know I really wasn't! I had a vague idea of the world at large, but never dreamed of how things all fit together. I still have a lot to learn!

When are you the happiest?

3. If you could turn into two people right now, what are the first two things you'd want to do?

Well, one person would scrub my house down, while the other lounged around watching tv. I don't care what the person doing the cleaning started with, as long as everything got done.

4. Show and tell. What comes to mind first when you see this picture? Or tell a story if it reminds you of one.

Kinda obvious what this is - a guy hang gliding amongst the windmills. I've never gone hang gliding before, but it looks kinda fun!

Friday, August 3, 2012

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009. We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us. So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives. The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that. They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week. I'm determined to find something good in each day. Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day. Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list! (This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list on your own blog. Thanks!)

~I'm happy because...

Someone gave me a coupon for a free oil change!

I enjoyed the law school visit!

I got to talk to a friend this week that I don't get to talk with very often!

I had fun shopping with my mom! Actually, she did the shopping, while I just looked.

The new schedule came out for the upcoming semester and I don't have to work with a coworker I dislike!

Inlast Friday's HFF, I mentioned a crystal bowl that I may or may not have broken. After apologizing profusely, the woman it belonged to said that she didn't know if it was cracked already or not, and to not worry about it. I still can't help but wonder if I caused it or not, but I'm relieved she seemed fine with it. Whew!!!

All summer long, I've been wishing the time away and for school to hurry up and start. I almost feel like I wasted the summer and didn't appreciate it nearly as much as I should have. During a cuddle session with Shiver yesterday, I realized that I'm going to miss seeing him and Chico all day long, cuddling and playing with them whenever the mood strikes. I wish I could bring them with me. Luckily, I don't work any closing shifts this semester, so once school is out, I'm done for the day, with the exception of Friday.

Knowing our time together is limited, I've vowed to appreciate every moment!